Bridgwater Town began the new season with a hard fought 2-1 win at home to Thatcham Town on Saturday in front of an excellent crowd of 275 writes Brian Austin.
After a cloudy drizzly morning the skies cleared and the sun came out to welcome the new season.
Town started brightly but it was Thatcham who presented the first scoring opportunity when Sam Hutchins,deputising for the injured Tom Manley, turned a shot from Johnson around the post.Town pushed forward and Jamie Price popped up in the Thatcham penalty area and won a corner on the right after six minutes.
A well worked short corner saw Pete Monks cross the ball for Ben Kirk to score with a deft glancing header.
Town should have gone further ahead in the twenty sixth minute when Thatcham were awarded a free kick just inside their half. Inexplicably the ball was passed to Matt Beadle who shot towards an unguarded net from forty yards but the ball just cleared the cross bar with Strudley,the Thatcham keeper,no where in sight.
Kirk then wriggled his way past two challenges and into the area but screwed his shot wide under pressure from a defender and Bridgwater were now looking well on top.
Hutchins though still had to be alert when when dealing with sporadic Thatcham attacks with the speedy Jemel Johnson always looking a threat.
Just before half time Thatcham's number three Paul Taplin was cautioned for bringing down the hard working Marcus Duharty.
The second half began with Bridgwater again looking dangerous as Natt Pepperell started to cause havoc with the Thatcham defence down the right and it seemed inevitable that the second goal would arrive but Strudley helped by some robust defending kept the marauding Bridgwater forwards at bay until the sixty fifth minute when Natt Pepperell was put clear by Ben Kirk, Strudley could only parry Pepperells strong shot and Duharty gleefully rammed in the rebound.
Town now looked well on top and the Thatcham attack was kept well under control by the outstanding pairing of Jamie Laird and Steve Orchard in the centre of Towns defence ably supported by full backs Price and Monks.
Towns new looking midfield of Pounde,Robertson,Beadle and Kirk supported the attack when ever they could and both Pounde,with a header just wide and Kirk who again brought the best out of Strudley in the Thatcham goal,with a well placed drive could have added to the scoreline.
Town had further chances to put the game beyond Thatchams reach but the deserved third goal just would not come.
Sam Rea,the Thatcham defender was then cautioned for bringing down Graham Mercieca,who had replaced the hard working Alex Pounde as Thatcham lost a little composure and Duharty was unlucky not to win a penalty when he was clearly held down by Rea just a minute later.
Thatcham though, to their credit,gradually came back into the game and were given a life line, when in the eightieth minute, Jamie Laird, under considerable pressure put through his own goal.
Thatcham now went in search of the equaliser but Towns defence held firm.Town picked up two cautions in this period,Dan Forward for a late tackle and Jamie Howson for kicking the ball away after the referee had blown for a Thatcham free kick.
A great win against one of the teams fancied by many to be there or there abouts at the end of the season and the team who finished one place above Town just outside of the last play-off position at the end of last season.
Towns top three.Steve Orchard,Jamie Laird and Ben Kirk but this was an excellent all round team performance.